Fire-extinguisher.



H. E. WEEKS..

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED D50. 27. 1916.

1,238,369. Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

l C II 3L0 1 I 71? W W 0351/ M 30 -g g flTTURNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD E. WEEKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO PYREN E MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed. December 27, 1916. Serial No. 138,110.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD EWVEEKS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city, county, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire extinguishers and has more particular reference to portable fire extinguishers of the type in which a fire extinguishing fluid is expelled by the pressure of gases generated by chemical reaction within the extinguisher when the latter is to be used.

The invention has for an object to simplify the operations required in starting the extinguisher.

A further object is to provide an improved means for bringing the reagents, generally an acid and a salt, together without inversion of the extinguisher.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof reference will be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the various novel features of the invention being more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectional view of a portable fire extinguisher embodying the invention, illustrating also a means whereby the extinguisher may be automatically brought into action in the event of fire breaking out adjacent the point of location of the extinguisher.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, the outer casing which forms the exterior wall of the liquid receptacle being omitted.

Fig. 8 is a detail vertical sectional view showing a slightly modified form of acid container and displacement member.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the extinguisher comprises an exterior casing or receptacle 1 in which is carried the fire extinguishing liquid, this casing being provided at its upper end with a contracted throat 2 closed by a cap 3 screwed thereon. Depending from the cap 3 is an interior receptacle 4 which may be screwed on a depending interior flange 5 on the cap, while a gasket 6 may be interposed between the upper ends of the throat portion 2 and tight joint. This receptacle 1 is adapted to be partially filled with a salt, as indicated at 7.

Removably mounted within the salt receptacle 4 above the salt in the latter, and located in the present instance about midway between the upper and lower ends of the latter, is a cup or container 8 adapted to hold an acid. As here shown this container is secured in place by a spring clip 9 which projects from a bar 10 depending from the cap 3, the clip 9 encircling the flanged neck 11 of the container 8.

The acid is discharged from the container through a series of tubes 12 of inverted U- formation, these tubes each having one leg inserted through suitable openings in the container adjacent the neck 11 and extending down within the container adjacent the wall of the latter to a point near the bottom thereof. The other legs of these tubes extend down outside the container, terminating at a point below the bottom of the latter, for a reason to be pointed out later.

The means for causing the acid to be discharged comprises a displacement member, here shown in the form of a weight 15 of a size to substantially fill the neck 11 and supported therein with its bottom just above the acid by a hook 16 engaging an eye 17 on the top of the weight, this hook being pivoted, as at 18, to the lower end of a rod 19 slidably supported in the cap 3, the hook having a lateral extension 20 providing an inclined surface 21 adapted to co-act with a complementary surface 22 on a stud 23 which depends from the cap 3, these complementary surfaces constituting cam members adapted to cause disengagement of the hook from the eye 17 when the rod 19 is lifted. The stud 23 may be provided with a pair of projections 24; disposed on opposite sides of the surface 22 to retain the cam surfaces in operative relation to one another.

Suitable openings 25 are provided in the upper end of the salt receptacle to permit of passage of the generated gas into the upper end of the liquid receptacle 1 while, to permit of release of the gas when desired, a valve device is provided, this valve device here comprising a disk 26 fixed to the rod 19 above the cap 3 and pressed thereagainst by a coiled spring 27 bearing therebetween and a plug 28 screwed into receptacle 4: and the cap to insure a gas the upper endo'f an annular flange 29 pro jecting upwardly from the cap 3, the rod 19 extending freely through the plug 28 and being provid'ed at its upper'end with a handle 30. The disk 26 normally closes an opening 31 through the cap 3 and may have a gasket 32 on its under side to insure a gas tight oint, While spring 27 is of sufiicient strength to resist the gas pressure. An opening 33 may be provided in the flange 29 to allow escape of the gas from the space inclose'd thereby. z I Y Discharge of the fire extinguishing liquid is effected through the pipe 34 extending down within. the liquid receptacle 1 to a point adjacent the bottom thereof and provided with a control valve 35 andhose con nection 36. Y

The operation of the extinguisher will be readily understood from the above description. The cap 3 may be unscrewed from both the outer and inner receptacles to permit of insertion of the proper contents there in. The acid container may then be slipped into the spring clip 9 with the Weight 15 depending from the hook 16'and projecting into the container, and the cap screwed on to the two receptacles. To start the extinguisher the handle 30 is raised, causing the hook 16 to swing out of the eye 17 by reason of the engagement of the cam surfaces 21and The weight 15 drops into the container and by displacing a certain pro portion of the acid causesthe latter to rise in the tubes 12 and be discharged therethroi'igh onto the salt, the generated gas passing through the openings 25 into the upper part of the receptacle 1 and furnishing the pressure to discharge the liquid.

The flow of acid through the tubes 12 starts a siphoning action which insures a practically complete discharge of the acid independently of the action ofthe Weight and withdraws the acid from the annular space between the weight and the wall of the container. v V

The generated gas may at any time be released by again raising handle and lift-- in'g disk 26 from the opening31. As will be apparent, the spring 27 serves the double function of holding the disk in position closing the opening 81 and also assists in preventing accidental raising of the handle 30 and releasing of thew'eight.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 the feature of siphoning the acidfrom the container is dispensed with,the Weight 15 being of a size to substantially fill the container 8" being of sulliciently smaller diameter than the latter t e leave an overflow space up which the acid rises to overflow from the container when theweight is re leased and drops into the container. The weight steadily displaces the acid as it setneg ti he container until all but the small portion contained in the annular space between the weight and container wall is caused to overflow. The weight is provided with an eye 17 adapted to engage the hook 1G.

Itwill be apparent that my improved fire extinguisher embodies a simple and inexpen sive construction which permits of the extinguisher being very readily put into operation without inversion of the latter by the simple raising of the handle 30.

If desired, the extinguisher may be, when left in a desired location ready for use, connected to a device adapted to cause automatic starting'thereof in the event of fire 'or of dangerous rise in temperature in its vicinity'. In Fig. 1, I have indicated the extinguisher as detachably connected by a hook $0 on thebottom of a link ll toa counter-weighted lever 42 retained in position with the weight raised by a fusible link 43. On rupture of the link %3 the counterweight will cause the lever 42 to raise link 11 and with it handle 30 and so release weight.

I claim:

1. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for the fire extinguishing fluid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, and a member adapted to be inserted in the acid container 7 to cause discharge of the contents thereof into the salt receptacle by displacing such contents. 7 I

2. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for the fire extinguishing fluid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, and a weighted member adapted to be inserted in the acid container to cause discharge of the contents thereof into the salt receptacle by the action of gravity on such member.

3. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for the fire extinguishing fluid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, and a weight adapted to be released and fall into said acid container to cause discharge of the con tents thereof into said salt receptacle by displacing such contents. I

4. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for the flre extinguishing fluid, an acid container having a discharge opening at its upper end, a salt receptacle, and displacing means for causing theacid to rise-in the container and flow out 'of said opening into the salt receptacle. v I

5. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for a fire extinguishingfluid, ana cid container, a salt receptacle, a siphon tube having one'leg extendinginto the acid container and the other leg projecting into the salt receptacle, and displacing means for causing an initial rising of the acid in the tube to start siphoning action in the latter. c

6. In a fire extinguisl'ier, a receptaclefor a fire extinguishing fluid,-'an acid container, a salt receptacle, a siphon tube having one leg extending into the acid container and the other leg projecting into the salt receptacle, and means for causing an initial rising of the acid in the tube to start siphoning action in the latter, including a member adapted to be inserted in the acid container to displace a portion of the contents thereof.

7. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for a fire extinguishing fluid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, a siphon tube having one leg extending into the acid container and the other leg projecting into the salt receptacle, and means for causing an initial ris ing of the acid in the tube to start siphoning action in the latter including a Weight adapted to be dropped into the acid container to displace a portion of the contents thereof.

8. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for a fire extinguishing fiuid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, a siphon tube having one leg extending into the acid container and the other leg projecting into the acid container, an acid displacement member disposed on the mouth of the acid container,

her re-leasably holding said Weight, said member being operable from the exterior of the extinguisher, and a pair of cam members adapted to cause release of the Weight from the said member upon movement of the latter, for the purpose set forth.

10. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for a fire extinguishing fluid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, a Weight supported above the acid in said container, a pivoted hook supporting said Weight, said hook having a laterally extending cam part, a complementary cam part carried by the extinguisher, a rod to which. said hook is pivoted said rod projecting exteriorly of the extinguisher and provided With a handle whereby the rod may be raised to cause the hook to swing on its pivot and release the Weight by engagement of the said cam parts.

11. In a fire extinguisher, a receptacle for a fire extinguishing fluid, an acid container, a salt receptacle, an acid displacement member disposed above the acid in said container, means normally holding said member in inoperative position, a part operable from the exterior of the extinguisher adapted to release said member, and a gas outlet from said first mentioned receptacle controlled by said part.

Signed at the city, county, and State of New York, this 21st day of December, 1916.

HAROLD E. WEEKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

